Facts about holidaying
in Greenland (part 3/10)
Accommodation in Greenland
Updated February 1996
This information is provided by Greenland Tourism a/s, the official tourist board of Greenland
About accommodation
Hotels
Hotel holidays
Courses and conferences
High-school holidays
Seamen's homes
Youth hostels
Chalets and cabins
Camping
Roughing it in a tent
Useful tips
Greenland has hotels in all categories. From places with liveried waiters manning the restaurant to more humble establishments operated on a family basis. Most hotels were built within the past 10 years and have facilities such as bathroom/toilet, TV and telephone. A restaurant and/or cafeteria is attached to the majority of hotels. If advanced booking is made, collection at the port, airport or heliport can be arranged.
Price level:
Single room with bathroom from approx. US $125
Double room with bathroom from approx. US $160
Excursion possibilities differ from one town to another, but during the ice-free period - and all year round in the case of the towns of Paamiut, Nuuk, Maniitsoq and Sisimiut - sailing trips will form part of any program.
The destination for such sailing trips may be places of historical interest, e.g. ruins from Norse and Inuit settlements, one-time villages or sites with scenic attractions such as bird cliffs, glaciers or localities where there is every chance of spotting seals and whales.
The hotels also form the base for hikes of shorter or longer duration, and the individual hotel and local tourist office will be able to guide and refer you to localities catering for special wishes, e.g. in terms of geology, flora or angling.In most towns, there will be an opportunity for outings by helicopter, either ready-organized or on a charter basis.
During the winter period, hotels north of the polar circle and in Ammassalik also form the base for dogsled trips, cross-country skiing and other winter pastimes.
Ready-organized hotel holidays are available with three to seven-day stays.
Price pointers:
Package trips: 8 days from Copenhagen.
1/4 board incl. two excursions from approx. US $ 2.100
Excursions: Sailing trips from approx. US $60
Guided hikes from approx. US $15
Helicopter trips from approx. US $75
Conferences involving more than 100 participants can be held in Ilulissat, Kangerlussuaq, Nuuk, Narsarsuaq and Qaqortoq. Courses with fewer participants can also be held in Uummannaq, Qasigiannguit, Sisimiut, Maniitsoq, Narsaq and Ammassalik.
The course periods are primarily the spring and autumn months, while conferences can be held all year round. The hotels in the above towns offer all-inclusive arrangements supplemented with outings, as and when required.
Price pointers:
From approx. US $85 per course day, assuming a minimum of ten participants.
During the summer, the two high-schools in Qaqortoq and Sisimiut - either themselves or in association with high-schools and organizations from the Nordic region - offer courses on Greenland, culture, history and social conditions. These courses are one or two weeks in duration and are supplemented by outings, cultural events, company visits and other activities designed to make your stay a "holiday with substance".
Price pointers:
14 days from Copenhagen, all transport, meals, outings, teaching and cultural activities included, from approx. US $2,500. One week from approx. US $1,200.
Seamen's homes were originally an offer of overnight accommodation to seafarers when their ship was in port or in connection with signing-on and signing-off. These days, seamen's homes can be used by anyone wishing for more simple facilities for spending the night. Not all rooms have their own bathroom/toilet and there is no restaurant as such, though there is invariably a cafeteria, albeit without a license to serve alcohol.
Price level:
Single room without bathroom from approx. US $60
Double room without bathroom from approx. US $110
In Greenland, the term "youth hostelling" covers quite a varied range of facilities, and their hostels cannot be compared with youth hostels in the European sense. Many major towns have youth hostels with good facilities such as a kitchen, dormitories, bathrooms, flush toilets, kiosks and possibly a cafeteria, etc. You might come across students' quarters or other types of college dorms doubling as youth hostels during the summer.
Generally speaking, the standard of comfort is quite high. In odd villages (e.g. Igaliko in South Greenland), there are also fine youth hostels.
As a rule, it will be possible to rent bedclothes or a sheet sleeping bag.
Price level:
Approx. US $25 for one night's stay.
In South Greenland, a number of sheep-farmers have installed overnight accommodation facilities directly connected with the scattered sheep-farming stations. These also go by the name of youth hostels. They are often the family's former home, and as a rule you should not expect to be living in the lap of luxury. Conversely, these places often exude considerable charm.
Earth closet lavatories, mattresses on an attic floor and water fetched by the bucket from the nearby well should be expected. Some places have a bath and running water. Visitors are expected to take along their own sleeping bag and food.
It can sometimes be hard to tell whether you have actually arrived at a sheep-farming family's youth hostel. There will rarely be any sign, for example; all the same, you should just approach and knock on the door, then ask if there is any chance of staying the night. After all, the sheep-farmers are well-known for their kindness and friendliness, even though communicating in any language other than Greenlandic and Danish can be tough.
Price level:
Approx. US $18 for one night's stay.
No matter where you go, as soon as you get away from the towns and villages in Greenland, you will discovery that places where you can find a roof over your head are few and far between. Yet in actual fact, there is a skeletal network of chalets throughout most of Greenland.
A number of chalets are not marked on the existing - and not always entirely up-to-date - map stock, while some chalets that have since been drawn in have disappeared. It is therefore recommended to bring along your own map and have current information drawn in and updated, e.g. at the local tourist office. In some areas, the tourist associations have set up or still operate chalets for tourist purposes.
The practice in Greenland is to make remote chalets available to everyone. They will rarely be locked, therefore. For the same reason, comfort is sparse, and chalets in this category are seldom particularly well-kept or clean. The chalets are used by the locals when out enjoying nature, generally for overnight stopovers or stays during fishing and sealing forays - and when gathering in the sheep in South Greenland. These chalets should be regarded simply as "a roof over your head", overnight accommodation usually being free of charge there.
Chalets of a slightly higher standard, e.g. summer cottages for rental, refurbished houses in disused villages and suchlike, can be rented through the local tourist office.
A few odd towns have designated specific areas for camping and equipped them with facilities, though camping sites in the traditional European sense should not be expected. It is not necessary to book in advance, and payment can be settled at the local tourist office.
Price level:
Approx. US $6 for a night's stay.
For anyone able to dispense with comfort and willing to carry their goods and chattels on their back, rough camping in Greenland provides fantastic freedom. As a hiker, you will largely sense the country in much the same way as the earliest Greenlandic inhabitants did.
The challenge of rough camping is also the same: the harsh countryside. Many campers have found that their flimsy, lightweight tent pegs were completely inadequate at coping with sudden gusts of winds, which in Greenland are capable of lacerating many of the lightweight materials used to manufacture tents these days. Do bear this in mind when choosing the type and material of your tent. Tunnel and dome-shaped tents are generally good in high winds.At extremely powerful wind strengths, by the way, one should always dismantle the tent and seek shelter in the terrain.
With few exceptions, it is permitted to pitch your tent anywhere in Greenland. In South Greenland, however, it is necessary to respect the cultivated areas and meadows of hay grass around the sheep-farming stations, where grass and vegetables are harvested as winter fodder.
Close to villages and towns, camping near lakes and watercourses that supply the area with fresh water is forbidden. Similarly, camping is banned in areas with ruins of settlements from times past.
If in doubt, ask the nearest tourist office.
Take along a sewing kit, extra tent poles and a couple of spare pegs. Don't expect the shops in Greenland to stock special-purpose articles.
As a general rule, a good campsite is a place where the ground is flat and the pegs can get a purchase and/or a place with large boulders to which to lash the tent down. Another important consideration is a site protected by the terrain with running water close by.
E-mail Greenland Tourism a/s
Next page
Top of page
Greenland Tourism Info-desk
Greenland Guide Index
Provided by Greenland Guide & Greenland Tourism
http://www.greenland-guide.dk